City of Forino
Great Sea > City of Forino In the north-east of the Great Sea, the City of Forino is built on a chain of islands divided by channels and canals. The city is known for its naval power, crossbowmen, art, political intrigue, and assassins. The city's emblem is the stylized face of a green fox. Establishment Establishment History History Locations * Arsenal Island - The northernmost of the Forino island chain. Encompasses the entire Arsenal District. ** Forinoan Arsenal - Owned by the city, the Arsenal serves to construct, supply, and repair the city's fleets. *** Arsenal Tower -''' One of the tallest buildings in the city, the Arsenal Tower is home to many of the Arsenal's designers and administration. *** 'Great Cranes -' Two large cranes (Little Uni and Grand Duo) hoist frames of ships into the air to be built above the water. ** '''Green Fox Inn - A small but upscale inn and bar. ** Viadana Bridge - The bridge connects Arsenal Island to the mainland to the north. ** Vecellio Manor - Across the viaduct from the Arsenal are the manor buildings of House Vecellio. * Cordesca Island - A south-western island. Western part of the'' Gilded District.'' ** Steadfast Tower - A small keep mounted on the rocky outcropping south of Cordesca Island. ** Chargarde House '''- The headquarters of the Chargarde Veterans. To call it a house belies its fortified structure. The House looks out over The Arsenal. ** '''Cordesco Manor - The tall home of the noble House Cordesco. It sits at the southern end of Cordesca Island. * Grand Island - A large island east of Market Island, it holds many civic buildings. Eastern end of the'' Gilded District.'' ** Palazzo di Forino - The palace holds the current Duke's apartments, the Conclave meeting chamber, and several administrative offices. ** Civic Theatre - A large, open air theater facing the water. Has a prestigious in-house troupe, as well as hosting traveling players. ** Iron Dawn Garrison '''- The headquarters of the Iron Dawn, the city's primary guard and police force. It stands between Grand Island and the Workers' District in what some have noted is rather symbolic. * '''Mainland - North of Arsenal Island, the mainland has plentiful natural resources essential to the continued development of Forino. The mainland is considered its own district. ** Tower of the Eight - While not officially tied to Forino, this conclave of wizards carries weight both within the city and around the world. ** Castiglione Manor - Situated on the hill above an entrance to one of their mines, the home of the Castiglione family is walled and fortified. The manor walls also enclose a hedge maze, which, by some accounts shifts its passages when explored. ** Lavorica -''' This small village built into the cliffs largely houses workers for the Castiglione mines, the lumber camps, or even the Tower of the Eight. ** '''Lumber Camp - East of Castiglione Manor is a lumber mill powered by a waterfall. Logs processed here are floated to the Arsenal. * Market Island - An island south of Arsenal Island, east of Cordesca Island, and west of Grand Island, it serves to connect the rest of the city. Central part of the'' Gilded District.'' ** Scuturi Manor - The nobles of House Scuturi live above their businesses in impressive apartments. The manor also boasts a small park with a central stage on one of the roofs for formal entertainment high above the streets. ** Ballistaer Company Headquarters - The main offices and workshops of the company rest on the southern edge of the island. Their private docks are busy at all hours of day and night as resources come in and weapons and other finished products are shipped out. * Vinosol Island '''- The largest island making up the city, it is also the most sparsely populated. While its western edge is counted as part of the Workers' District, the majority of the island is hilly or mountainous terrain dotted with vineyards. ** '''Riposante - A small coastal village known for its laid-back atmosphere. It is a popular vacationing destination, though it also has a respectable fishing trade. * Workers' District - A collection of small islands to the south of Grand Island and west of Vinosol Island. These densely-packed buildings are home to many laborers, craftsmen, and others too poor for the more posh islands. It has a deserved reputation for a thriving criminal underworld which boasts tendrils reaching out across the city. Notable Residents * Duke Elmo Malfitano (Barone) - The elected leader of the city. Weak-willed and openly corrupt, he is in everyone's pocket and wields little real power. * House Cordesco - Leaders of the Imperialist faction, this house is known for its intelligence and blackmail power, and for brokering political favors. They also have control over many of the city guards. ** Count Vittori Cordesco ** Contessa Mercedes Cordesco ** Nobelo Fulvio Cordesco - Member of the Conclave. Brother of Mercedes Cordesco. * House Scuturi - A wealthy house of traders and business leaders. Openly support the Golden Bond, and also believed to lean toward Memorialist sentiments. ** Count Mauro Scuturi ** Contessa Lucrezia Nadia Scuturi - Member of the Conclave. * House Vecellio - The city's foremost naval power. Factionally, they have expressed Imperialist and Memorialist leanings. ** Count Umberto Vecellio - The city's Master of the Arsenal, he is officially in charge of the city's fleet and the Forinoan Arsenal itself. Member of the Conclave. ** Contessa Raffaela Vecellio * Viscontessa Ashena Baronti * House Castiglione - Leaders of the Golden Bond faction. Control mining and lumber operations on the mainland north of the city. ** Viscount Algerno Castiglione ** Viscontessa Castiglione ** Nobela Gianna Castiglione - Member of the Conclave. Daughter and heir of Viscount and Viscountessa Castiglione. * House Gotti - The Gotti family has diverse investments around the city, most notably holding major shares in several mercenary companies. They wholly own and sometimes personally command the Vulpes Victrix mercenary band. ** Viscontessa Daria Gotti -''' A strategic mastermind. One half of the Twin Foxes. Youngest daughter of House Cordesco. Married to Viscount Gotti. Member of the Conclave. ** 'Viscount Urbano Gotti -' A tactical mastermind. One half of the Twin Foxes. Married to Viscountess Gotti. * '''House Monalto - Leaders of the Memorialist movement. ** Viscountessa Marissa Montalto - Member of the Conclave. * Viscount/Viscontessa Pugliesi - Major stakeholders in the Ballistaer Company. * Viscount Rosario Sinisi * Barone Auditore * Baronessa Ludovica Sciacallo - Head of the Duelist's College. Sponsored to nobility in the Old World due to her long and legendary career as a duelist. Nicknamed "The Grey Jackal;" previously called "The Blond Jackal." * Cavaliere Artoro Foriaudi - A hero of the Sealed Grave faction. Member of the Conclave, sponsored to candidacy by House Sinisi to "keep things interesting." * Silvio Pulcinella - The most prominent gang leader in Forino, he claims much of the Worker's District as his turf. Masked and garbed in the costume of a traditional stock character (when he makes appearances), he is seen as an ally of the people despite his overt criminal behavior. ** Arlecchino - Arlecchino the Harlequin is Pulcinella's chief enforcer. He (or she, or it) is described as a hulking, masked bruiser in colorful and checkered but tattered garb. Arlecchino's nature is unknown, but he is rumored to be human, a construct, a devil, or possibly the assumed name of several separate people. Nobility of Forino The nobility of Forino are the holders of any of its five noble titles. # Count/Contessa - The highest ranking nobility. There are three houses with this title in Forino. # Viscount/Viscontessa - Still considered Great Houses, there are six houses with this title in Forino. # Barone/Baronessa - Lesser noble houses. # Nobelo/Nobela - Otherwise untitled direct family of the above nobility are given this title and the protections that nobility offers. # Cavaliere/Dama - Knighted citizens of the city. (Often addressed simply as "Sir Name," regardless of gender.) In addition, there is the supreme official leader of the city, known as the Duke (or Duchessa). The Duke is a noble elected by direct democracy of the Elector Houses (Counts, Viscounts, and Barones). Each Count receives three votes, each Viscount receives two votes, and each Barone receives one vote. While the Nobelos and Cavalieres cannot vote, any Count, Viscount, Barone, Nobelo, or Cavaliere (or their female equivalent) is eligible to hold the office. Plebeians and foreigners are not eligible to become Duke. The Duke is ostensibly the head of state and leader of the Conclave of Forino. Their actual amount of power varies. Notable Organizations While initially confusing to outsiders, the city's factional politics are simply alliances of somewhat like-minded people, any of whom may be members of one or more factions. The main disputes are between the Golden Bond and the Imperialists (regarding expansion) and between the Memorialists and the Sealed Grave (regarding the political status quo). Any person may consider themselves part of any unopposed factions, so a person is just as likely to support the Memorialists and Golden Bond as they are to support the Memorialists and Imperialists (as an example). * Ballistaer Company - The city's premier producer of crossbows and ballistas. They also manufacture other weapons of all sorts, along with ammunition, weapon accessories, and some armor. While their crossbows and ballistas are rightly known to be of the highest quality, their other weapons are relatively mundane and generic, produced in bulk and widely exported. * Chargarde Veterans - The city's elite soldiers, an amalgam of pre-Storm Pavencian League forces. They are so named because of their Old World actions in defense of their cities during the Night of Flame (elsewhere known as the Storm). They are staunch supporters of the nobility (and, in general, the Memorialists), who, in turn, make sure to stay in the Chargarde Veterans' good graces. * Conclave of Forino - The ruling council of Forino, its seven members are elected by popular vote from candidates put forward by the sponsorship of noble houses. Often, the candidates (and eventual members) are part of said noble houses, such as the house's patrician or matrician. The Conclave is ostensibly under the authority of the Duke, but may be more or less powerful. The current Conclave, under Duke Malfitano, is more powerful than most. Unlike in many nations, however, while the Conclave has vast legal powers, it is still often secondary to the power of noble houses and the various factions of the city. The Conclave's current members are: **Contessa Lucrezia Nadia Scuturi **Count Umberto Vecellio **Viscontessa Daria Gotti **Viscontessa Marissa Montalto **Nobelo Fulvio Cordesco **Nobela Gianna Castiglione **Cavaliere Artoro Foriaudi * Duelists' College - A neutral organization that provides many services for the city's dueling culture. They maintain lists of duelists and the Prestige of each, as well as certifying and providing Arbiters for duels (for a fee), and medics (for a fee). They also arrange training for professional duelists, hopefuls, and the nobility (for a fee). The College itself is avowed neutral in the politics of the city, though its members are free to have their own leanings. * Forsaken Foxes - A mercenary company based in Forino. Composed largely of disillusioned former soldiers (domestic and foreign) dispossessed by the circumstances of the storm. Largely heavy infantry. Their uniforms are less uniform than most formal mercenary companies, but they tend towards grey and brown over armor. * Golden Bond - A faction that wishes to strengthen the home islands of Forino by peaceful trade around the Great Sea. While they may support peaceful colonization, they are against what they see as the Imperialists' course towards war. Sometimes called the "Golden Resolute." Oppose the Imperialists. * Imperialists - An expansionist faction that wants to establish colonies around the Great Sea and rise to dominate the area (even at the expense of others). Often also anti-Grimwalt. Oppose the Golden Resolute. * Iron Dawn - The city's guard and policing force. While they are ostensibly neutral in faction politics, individual members are frequently faction members or in the pocket of one or more of the noble houses. Their uniforms are green, and their rank and position dictates their weapons and armor (though crossbows, spears, or swords are most common). * Memorialists - This faction wishes to rebuild and continue the power structures and society of the old world. Oppose the Sealed Grave. * Pulcinella's Circus - A thriving criminal gang led by Silvio Pulcinella, operating largely in the lower class areas of the city. Themed after commedia dell'arte characters (though for some lower level enforcers, this may simply boil down to wearing a mask and a few scraps of checkered cloth over street clothes). * Red Hart Company - A mercenary company based in Forino. With strong ties to the Ballistaer Company, they are primarily composed of the pavaise crossbowmen (and their supporters) that Forino is known for. Their uniforms are red with white accents, and gray trousers. * Sealed Grave - This faction wishes to move on from the old world and take the opportunity to restructure society from the bottom up. Oppose the Memorialists. * Voices of Rust - An activist splinter faction from the Sealed Grave, they actively strike out against those in power. Secrecy and fanaticism are their greatest weapon. * Vulpes Victrix - A mercenary company owned and led by the Twin Foxes of House Gotti. Their uniforms are grey, and green with black stripes. * Winnowers - The assassins' guild. The majority of its membership is secret and many of its members practice other professions as cover. The Winnowers see themselves as a neutral party in the conflicts of the city (and the world) and are simply available as well-paid instruments of others' policies. Hidden Lore Knowledge Local: DC XX TEXT GOES HERE DM Only DM Notes TEXT GOES HERE Category:Location Category:City Category:V2.0